Cochin Shipyard delivers third ASW shallow water craft ‘Mangrol’ to Indian Navy
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) delivered "Mangrol," the third of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) being built for the Indian Navy, to the Navy at Kochi
The vessel is equipped with shallow-water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, and indigenous anti-submarine warfare rockets, and is designed for coastal surveillance and underwater operations
Mangrol carries more than 80% indigenous content and can also undertake search-and-rescue, mine-laying, and low-intensity maritime operations
The delivery is part of an eight-vessel contract awarded to CSL in 2019, running parallel to an identical eight-vessel order placed with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)
ASW Shallow Water Craft (Mahe-class) Programme
The ASW SWC project addresses a specific capability gap: detecting and engaging hostile submarines in shallow coastal waters, where deep-water sonar and larger frigates are less effective. The Ministry of Defence signed two identical contracts in April 2019 — one with Cochin Shipyard Limited and one with GRSE — for eight vessels each, under the "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" category that mandates indigenous design, development, and manufacture.
Key Details
- CSL's contract (30 April 2019) covers eight ASW SWCs worth approximately ₹6,311 crore, to be completed over 90 months, with the first ship deliverable within 42 months
- The class is named Mahe-class after the lead vessel, INS Mahe, which was delivered by CSL in October 2025 and commissioned into the Navy on 24 November 2025
- Each vessel displaces about 750 tonnes, has a top speed of roughly 25 knots, and carries a crew of about 57 including seven officers
- The vessels are tasked with anti-submarine search-and-attack unit (SAU) roles, coordinated ASW operations with naval aircraft, mine-laying, and low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO)
Mangrol is the third hull delivered under this contract (following Mahe and Malpe/Malwan), demonstrating steady progress toward completing the eight-ship CSL order and closing India's shallow-water anti-submarine capability gap.
Indigenous Defence Shipbuilding and "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" Procurement
Defence procurement in India follows a graded preference order under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), with "Buy (Indian-IDDM — Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)" ranked as the most preferred category, followed by "Buy (Indian)," "Buy and Make (Indian)," and "Buy (Global)." Warship projects like the ASW SWC increasingly use domestic public-sector shipyards to build indigenous content and reduce import dependence, aligned with the Atmanirbhar Bharat framework in defence manufacturing.
Key Details
- Cochin Shipyard Limited is a Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and is India's largest public-sector shipyard
- Defence procurement categories under DAP 2020 rank domestically designed and built platforms highest to incentivise self-reliance
- Mangrol's stated indigenous content of over 80% is consistent with government targets to raise domestic value addition in warship construction
- Weapons and sensors on the vessel — indigenous ASW rockets and shallow-water sonars — reflect the parallel push for indigenous defence electronics and armament under Make in India
The ASW SWC programme is a working example of the "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" category in practice, illustrating how India is building a domestic warship-construction ecosystem for a specific niche capability (shallow-water ASW) rather than importing platforms.
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Coastal Maritime Security
Anti-submarine warfare covers detection, tracking, and (if required) engagement of hostile submarines using sonar, torpedoes, and depth charges/rockets. Shallow coastal waters pose distinct acoustic challenges compared to the open ocean, requiring specialised, smaller, more manoeuvrable platforms — the gap the ASW SWC class is designed to fill, complementing the Navy's larger frigates, corvettes, and P-8I maritime patrol aircraft.
Key Details
- ASW platforms typically combine active/passive sonar for detection with torpedoes and ASW rockets for engagement
- India's broader ASW architecture also includes Kamorta-class corvettes (dedicated ASW corvettes) and P-8I Poseidon aircraft for long-range maritime patrol
- Coastal ASW capability is relevant to internal/maritime security given concerns over infiltration and covert submarine activity near Indian coasts
- The vessel's search-and-rescue and mine-laying roles give it a multi-mission profile beyond pure ASW
Mangrol strengthens the Navy's shallow-water ASW layer, a capability gap that has historically been filled by ageing or converted vessels, and directly supports coastal security.
- Mangrol: third of eight ASW SWCs contracted to Cochin Shipyard Limited (contract signed 30 April 2019)
- Total CSL contract value: approximately ₹6,311 crore for 8 vessels; parallel identical order placed with GRSE
- Vessel specifications: ~750 tonnes displacement, ~25 knots top speed, crew of ~57 (including 7 officers)
- Indigenous content: more than 80%
- Lead vessel of class: INS Mahe, delivered October 2025, commissioned 24 November 2025
- Weapons/sensors: lightweight torpedoes, indigenous ASW rockets, shallow-water sonars
- Cochin Shipyard Limited: Miniratna Category-I CPSE under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways